The document discusses strategies for selling and servicing SEO in 2014. It emphasizes that SEO continues to grow in importance for driving traffic and sales. It provides tips for more effective SEO pitches that show results and forecast returns, prioritize efforts, and collaborate across marketing channels. The document advocates for an agile approach to SEO through short sprints with measurable goals tied to key performance indicators.
2. IMPORTANCE OF SEO CONTINUES TO GROW
Despite many “SEO is Dead” claims by so-called experts…
How Consumers Found Websites in 2012 Report by Forrester
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3. SAME FOR ALL OF E-COMMERCE, TOO
Maybe buying stuff on the internet isn’t just a fad?
eMarketer Worldwide B2C Ecommerce 2013 Forecast and
Compartive Estimates
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4. LOTS OF UNCERTAINTY / GOSSIP IN SEO
It’s a mad, mad world…
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5. BUT THAT’S NOT UNIQUE TO SEO EITHER…
The truth is, maybe this stuff isn’t as easy as we all thought?
Adobe Digital Distress Study, 2013
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6. IN THE END: ROI STILL MATTERS…
Money in, money out…
Adobe Digital Distress Study, 2013
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7. …AND SEO GENERATES IT.
How we helped a Client blow their numbers out of the water…
258%
84%
40%
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INCREASE IN PAGE 1 VISIBILITY
FOR NON-BRANDED QUERIES
YOY INCREASE IN ORGANIC
SEARCH TRAFFIC
YOY INCREASE IN ECOMMERCE
SALES COMING FROM ORGANIC
8. A few tips to make your pitches more effective & compelling…
HOW TO SELL SEO
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9. HOW VS. WHY SELLING
The differences between “How” and “Why” Selling…
http://blog.hubspot.com/sales/persuasion-tactics-how-vswhy-selling
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10. SHOW YOUR WORK, TELL A STORY
Provide a little work for free, share experiences/stories from other accounts…
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12. JUST SAY NO
Don’t sell clients things they don’t need – even if they ask for it…
Adobe Digital Distress Study, 2013
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13. FORECAST RETURNS
You cannot guarantee results, but that doesn’t mean you can’t forecast at all…
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What is cost in PPC?
What is expected traffic?
How long to improve?
Case Studies?
Adobe Digital Distress Study, 2013
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14. SCOPE TO DELIVERABLES, NOT JUST HOURS
Incentivize efficient work, make it clear what clients are getting…
SCOPING BEST PRACTICES FOR SEO:
• Make it clear what objectives & KPI of SOW are
• Scope to deliverables, but include plenty of time
to consult on implementation, training
• Put project goals IN WRITING
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15. PRIORITIZE EVERYTHING, HOLD HANDS
Don’t just instruct how to fish, get the boat out and go fishing together…
GOOD:
BETTER:
BEST:
Here is a list of things wrong
with your website…
Here’s how you could
potentially fix those things…
Let’s prioritize & scope every
change needed, and put a
business case behind each
one…
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16. MARKET YOUR MARKETING
Make your wins noticeable through KPI-oriented reporting...
200
Rules for Reporting:
180
1)
2)
3)
160
140
INCREASE IN TRAFFIC
Focus on KPIs
Include all channels
Make it look nice
120
100
INCREASE IN REVENUE
80
60
40
DECREASE IN AD-SPEND
20
0
Clicks
Revenue
SEO or SEM
SEO + SEM
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Spend
17. COLLABORATE WITH OTHER CHANNELS
Never take credit for wins – SEO supports the larger goal…
• PPC Ad Copy Testing influencing SEO Meta Descriptions
• Content Strategy influenced by SEO Keyword Research
• Web Design & Creative influenced by SEO Best Practices
SOCIAL
MEDIA
PAID MEDIA
REPORTING
AND
ANALYTICS
VIDEO &
BLOG
STRATEGY
CONVERSION
OPTIMIZATION
SEO Data, Deliverables & Consulting
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CREATIVE
18. GET AGILE: ALWAYS BE SHIPPING
Don’t try to do too much at once – it’s overwhelming for both agency & client…
Organize in short sprints rather than huge waterfalls
Keep each sprint focused on S.M.A.R.T. goals, tied to KPIs
SEO is not a finite task, it’s an on-going process
Check out my preso from BOLO 2012 on Agile SEO Here:
http://www.slideshare.net/nickroshon/agile-seo-optimizing-in-realtimebolo-2012
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21. ABOUT ME / ABOUT COVARIO
Thanks for having me!
NICK ROSHON
Account Director, Covario
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Tech Editor of “Search and Social: The Definitive Guide to Real-Time Content
Marketing”
Blogger at NicksCarBlog.com, NickRoshon.com, NicksTravelBlog.com
Previously Sr. SEO Strategist @iCrossing
COVARIO
Global Search Agency
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9 Offices, 250+ Employees WW
2x winner of OMMA Search Agency of the Year
Forrester “Strong Performer” in Search Marketing Wave
Headquartered in San Diego, CA
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Editor's Notes
Tell a story on every slide…My big takeaway from Day 1 was from Steven Picanza that conferences are best for inspiration & networking rather than getting nitty gritty on strategy, so my goal here is to get creative juices flowing…
Especially true in Mobile…
Give a shout-out to Bing here, they aren’t so anti-SEO. Session on Monday said Don’t even bother with SEO thanks to Hummingbird, Google doesn’t care if keywords are in content. Exactly what Google wants you to think, but Good SEO still works ;)
Gareth Kay keynote also mentions this – lots of pessimism in advertising, we aren’t sure what we’re doing. Client’s don’t feel we offer good value for the money, don’t boost corporate profitability. People beat up on SEO but same with email (no one opens it), banner ads (more likely to get struck by lightning), TV ads (people just fast forward, viewership is fragemented and digital), etc.
This was a pervasive theme of Day 1 of the conference in nearly every session I sat in on was offering value, helping people. Joel Cambley, Steph Parker, others. Also hubspot is here, and this is their content so thank them ;) Ultimately this is Youtility at its finest.
SEO is a big scary topic, lift the komono and show them what your strategy, what you’d do, how you think. Much akin to an interview, this is a case study question. Hated those in college, but they were great at getting people talking. Best of all you’re showing, not telling, how you work. TELL STORIES. Shane from Contently, Alan from Sapient Nitro both talked a lot about storytelling/storyscaping.
Clients love agencies that are hungry. Come to the pitch like you’re fucking starved. Bring you’re a-team, not your sales guys.
Story of waiter telling people to get second most expensive thing – builds credibility – Robert Cialdini book.Saying “No” builds trust in the rest of your proposalClients don’t always know what they want/need, or how to get there…Selling unnecessary services/items ultimately drags down ROI
We can’t get it perfect, but no one can. Forecast and perfect.
Deliverables rather than hours allows you to beat margins if you’re efficient, lose against margins if notHours do work in some cases
Scope time for implementation reviews. 20% of work is identifying issues, other 80% is implementing…Every deliverable needs time to review, present, and follow-throughOften recommendations cannot be implemented, so recommendations need to be a conversation about what can or can’t be done, rather than a list of directivesOften recommend multiple technical audits per year, as not everything gets implemented correctly or fullyUse technology to automate checking where possibleOver-communicate to ensure delivery
Just like last slide, can’t report in a vacuum either. Make your reports sexy, otherwise they’ll be ignored.
If client thinks SEO lives in a vacuum, they’re less likely to care. It’s “Just an SEO Problem” rather than something bigger.
Waterfall – trying to do everything at once, gathering all requirements before moving to next step. Basically like doing an “Epic” all at once rather than breaking in to smaller stories/enhancements. Startup mentality from Dan Zelikman – startups are agile, versitalie, lean, focus, make mistakes fast.